Episode date: March 9, 2016
Transcript published: February 14, 2018

As Great Lent approaches, Molly reflects on gluttony, passions, and the great fast.

I open the refrigerator, and there it sat: the leftover birthday cake, thickly iced and irresistible. It had been a long celebratory weekend of gorging on food and fun, and now I was tired, bloated, and heedless. With my defenses down, I caved instantaneously, devouring forkfuls of sickeningly sweet buttercream frosting containing but small slivers of actual cake, knowing full well I’d regret it, but unable to stop myself. All that night, of course, I felt awful.